Youth Update: May 23, 2011

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution’s Under-18 and Under-16 teams each played two matches at Durfee High School (Fall River, Mass.) last weekend, facing Empire United on Saturday, May 21, before playing Seacoast United on Sunday, May 22. The youth squads came out of the weekend with a combined record of 1-1-2.

UNDER-18sThe Under-18s battled first-place Empire United to a 3-3 draw on Saturday in the teams’ second and final meeting during the 2010-11 season. Cole Denormandie (Lincoln, Mass.) put the Revs ahead in the 35th minute, assisted by Fabio Machado, Jr. (Leominster, Mass.), who helped spring a counter-attack. A lengthy series of passes led to a second New England goal in the 42nd minute. Defender Colin Sweeney (Southborough, Mass.) received the ball from the left side of the field, sending Michael Rincon (Malden, Mass.) up the right flank. Rincon then found Adrian Reifsnyder (Newton, Mass.) out in front, who doubled the lead. On the other side of the break, Empire leveled the score with goals in the 55th and 59th minutes. Denormandie then scored his 11th goal of the season in the 68th minute, taking on two defenders before unleashing a shot past the Empire goalkeeper. Machado was again credited with the assist. An own goal leveled the score in the fourth minute of stoppage time, allowing Empire to come away with a point on the road.

On Sunday, the U18s earned a 1-1 draw against the Northeast Division’s second-place team, Seacoast United. After a scoreless first half, Seacoast went up 1-0 in the 46th minute – the result of an own goal. The Revs then equalized in the 52nd minute, when Machado was able to finish a cross from Denormandie. The pair is now tied for the team high with 11 goals this season. Other notable performers included defenders Sean MacDonald (Candia, N.H..) and Matthew Keys (Norfolk, Mass.).

UNDER-16sThe Under-16s suffered a 3-2 loss to division-leading Empire United on Saturday. Empire scored in the fifth minute, before a 12th-minute own goal and 17th-minute strike gave the visitors a 3-0 lead. The Revs began the second half with a renewed energy, and in the 43rd minute, goalkeeper David Hepp’s (Natick, Mass.) dropkick found Devin Devoy (North Attleborough, Mass.) in the attacking third. Devoy then fired a shot into the left upper 90, making it 3-1. New England earned a corner kick in the 61st minute, with Willis Griffith (Amherst, N.H.) scoring after a brief flurry of shots on goal. Christian Sady (North Andover, Mass.) is credited with the assist. The Revs continued to push for the equalizer, but the score held through to the final whistle.

The U16s came away with a full three points on Sunday, earning a 4-0 shutout against Seacoast United. Peguy Ngatcha (Manchester, N.H.) scored an unassisted game-winner in the fourth minute. Danny Apajee’s (Cranston, R.I.) elevated work rate then paid dividends in the 16th minute, when he was brought down in the box and earned a penalty kick. Diego Fagundez (Leominster, Mass.) stepped up and converted, doubling the Revs’ lead. Devoy scored his fifth goal of the season in the 22nd minute, getting a head on a Fagundez’s cross at the far post. Apajee then scored a fourth goal for the Revs in the 39th minute, assisted again by Fagundez. New England made six substitutions in the second half, and finished out the game with the shutout intact.

With the pair of draws, the Revolution Under-18 team – now 8-9-6 – slid to fourth place in the Northeast Division. The Under-16s now hold a 10-7-6 record after the weekend’s win and loss, and remain in second place in the division. Both teams are home this weekend, when they will host FC Greater Boston on Saturday, May 28, at Gillette Stadium ahead of the first team’s game against the LA Galaxy.